BlogHer - mommy & family - Comments

#2 Fill up slow? No! Exactly the opposite !

crgwllms — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:13:30 -0500

I don't believe this is true because petrol fumes aren't caused by agitation. The speed of the flow doesn't have anything to do with creating fumes...they happen because of the evaporative nature of fuel, and the relative density of the atmosphere above the liquid. Actually, speed DOES have a lot to do with it....the faster you can get the fuel in and whack the cap on the tank, the less is going to evaporate into the atmosphere! So I actually believe you should do the total opposite of tip 2!

Thanks for all of your kinds words!

Jody DeVere -- Ask Patty — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:42:35 -0600

All families face challenges and none are more difficult than if one of your own children is disabled like mine, however in my family it is my son.who is the inspiration not me. His courage, faith and strength humble me.

Jody DeVere
President
www.askpatty.com
www.carblabber.com

Wow Jody

Mom101 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:53:04 -0600

I had absolutely no idea about any of this. It's so great that his mom has the inside track (pun intended) on all this stuff so he can make sure he gets the best possible tools to work with.

Congrats on all his exciting new opportunities.

Mom-101
Cool Mom Picks.com

Wow, I admire the both of

Liz Thompson — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:29:44 -0600

Wow, I admire the both of you - your courage is very inspirational and I'm going to try to remember that, when my baby goes for driver's license in...GULP...3 years - good luck!

--------------------------------------------
This Full House
This Full House of Product Reviews
Imperfect Parent

Synonym for Parenthood

Lia — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:42:38 -0600

Reading your post made me realise that a synonym for parenthood is worrywart. A friend of mine wrote recently how he was overwhelmed with relief when his son casually mentioned over the phone that he had an invite to a college Super Bowl party. He son is new to college and has, in the past, suffered severe psychological problem. Something like a normal social invite was, for the father, a reason for (quiet) celebration.

The challenges your son, your family, and you face are truly many faceted. It makes for very interesting reading. Wish your son all the best on the surf and scuba.

lia from luebeck, germany

Author of the yum yum cafe

Excited and Nervous

Jody DeVere -- Ask Patty — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:01:20 -0600

Mir,

Thanks yes my excitement and nervousness over him spreading his wings is wonderful news for our family!

Jody DeVere
President
www.askpatty.com
www.carblabber.com

how wonderful!

Mir Kamin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:32:19 -0600

Your excitement for your son really comes through in this post, Jody. Thanks so much for sharing. :)

--
Mir Kamin
(BlogHer Mommy & Family contributing editor)

Personal: Woulda Coulda Shoulda

Having it all with less: Want Not

Interesting Topic

fnm1gll — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:34:04 -0600

As a young woman with little money and old vehicles, I dreaded having to take my car into the service station. I know I experienced a lot of rip offs and just plain bad work (like a Firestone station that used aluminum foil to help get a wrong sized part to "fit").

(I remember an interview with a manager at a coorporation who asked me to give an example of a situation that really bothered me. I answered, "car problems". His response was, "Well, you just take it to the service station and get it fixed -- what's the big deal?" I could tell that I wasn't going to be able to explain to him what's it's like being a woman walking into a place where women are often treated badly and taken advantage of, just because they're women.)

I was lucky in my 20's to find an old fashioned auto repairman that worked out of his home and did a good job for a fair price. I wouldn't have made it through college without him -- I sent him Christmas cards for years.

Then after moving too far away to take my car to my trusted repairman, I ventured out and have found reliable repair with City Garage -- a repair chain. I've moved once or twice more and have sought out the City Garage's in the area and have been satisfied with their work. They are always polite and respectful and I don't feel as though I'm being overcharged. One test of that was taking in my car when my brakes were squeaking strangely. They said it was just some sand or something and washed it out and didn't charge me a penny.

It's not foolproof, but I find a strong correlation between being treated decently and feeling as though they're doing a good job. I've noticed a strong pattern in the past when the people at the desk were rude and then finding out later that they'd done a bad job.

Woman owned garage

Maria Niles — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:42:40 -0600

I wish I had a hybrid and lived over in SF just so I could go to this garage for hybrids and which is owned and operated by a woman. It just looked so cool when I saw it reviewed on the news last night.

http://www.lusciousgarage.com/

There are a few women owned garages in Berkeley as well. I take my car though to a garage run by a man whom my sister found after her car was towed there by AAA and now my mother and I also go. Finding a mechanic you trust and doesn't treat you like a dumb little lady is a great thing. Plus his wife and mom are often around so that's a good sign. :-)

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Beyond Help

I wish they had had this when I was a child

suebob — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:38:31 -0600

Both my parents smoked constantly and I suffered through many smoky car trips. It was disgusting and I was trapped. I think this law is fabulous.

#3 Half full fill-ups? Wait 'til last gallon...

Binksternet — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 09:06:48 -0600

I think if people wait until the last gallon in their tank before filling up then they'll save more money on gas over time. There will be fewer total fillups per distance traveled and there will be fewer times when the gas cap is popped off and vapor lost at the gas pump. Economy in gas vapor savings increases as the driver gets closer to zero gallons left in the tank; a risky strategy if you guess wrong or if a gas station you were counting on is closed or out of service. In a populated area where there are lots of fillup options, a thrifty driver should always wait until the tank is almost empty before filling. Waiting until there's one gallon left is enough to ensure you find a station.

The gasoline vapor inside a gas tank is at the same pressure no matter how much gas is in the tank--there's always the same amount of gasoline fumes per unit volume of empty space in the tank (assuming the same ambient temperature and weather conditions.) I believe your point is that the gasoline liquid gives up a greater percentage of its volume the lower your tank gets. One gallon of liquid gasoline has the job of filling the rest of a 12-gallon gas tank with fumes whereas eleven gallons in the same tank only have the job of filling one gallon of empty space with fumes. This picture of the process ignores the fact that the eleven gallons already DID fill up the one gallon of empty space with fumes. The last liquid gallon doesn't have to fill the whole tank with fumes--it's already filled by previous gallons.

If a 12-gallon tank in a 20 mpg car has six gallons of liquid gas and six equivalent volume units of gas vapor when you fill up, you'll lose six "volume gallons" of gas vapor at that fillup and sixty volume gallons of gas vapor in 1200 miles of driving (120 miles per half-filled tank and ten half-fills to get 1200 miles.) If you wait to fill the tank when there's only one gallon left, you'll lose 11 volume gallons of gas vapor in one fillup and the same sixty volume gallons in 1200 miles (220 miles per eleven-gallon fillup, 1200 divided by 220 = 5.45 fuel stops to go 1200 miles. 5.45 x 11 = 60.) In short, you lose the same amount of gas vapor from the tank no matter how often you fill up, but the filling-up process loses vapor in and of itself. Vapor is lost to the outside air each time you open your gas cap. Minimize your gas station stops!

Firestone's response to my follow-up email today

ExpectingExecutive — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:18:05 -0600

Hi Jody-

Today I followed up with Firestone after seeing your note. I wanted to write them becuase I was a little bit miffed they did not fix my tire after reading your follow-up post. However, it seems like Fix-A-Flat may want to give Firestone a call becuase this was their response to my email:

From: CustomerService@FirestoneCompleteAutoCare.com

Thank you for your recent inquiry. We are sorry that you experienced a flat and that we could not repair it. It is our policy to decline repairs to any tire
that has had a sealant/inflator product installed. We have not posted the policy on our website. We, and other tire manufacturers, feel that while the sealant/inflators are convenient their use introduces another variable into an already complicated repair procedure. We are confident that allowing our stores to only repair tires that meet specific criteria ensures the safety of our customers and the reputation of our company.

Again, thank you for visiting our website.

Just an FYI.

Erin
ExpectingExecutive

Fix-A-Flat

Jody DeVere -- Ask Patty — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:11:07 -0600

I have contacted Fix-A-Flat . This is a common misconception about Fix-A-Flat.

The Fix-A-Flat brand is committed to providing its users with a safe and effective product to keep them on the road and off the shoulder. The latest formulation of Fix-A-Flat is both non-flammable and TPMS safe. Also of note for your readers who bring their vehicle in to a repair shop after using the product, Fix-A-Flat is water soluble and can be removed with a paper towel or rag or preferably, soap and water. Additional information about the product can be found on www.FixAFlat.com

Jody DeVere
President
www.askpatty.com
www.carblabber.com

Fix-a-Flat comment

ExpectingExecutive — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:47:46 -0600

Hi Jody-

I love your articles!

I wanted to let you know that I used Fix-A-Flat last month after I ran over a nail near some construction work. It seems that many of the "fix-a-flat" type products use a foam/vapor that is quite flammable. When I went to take my car to Firestone to have it fixed, they informed me that it was now corporate policy that they could no longer fix flat tires that have had Fix-A-Flat (and like products) used to temporarily re-inflate them due to the flammability issue. Anway, I had to take my tire to a local service shop who agreed to fix my tire but at this point I am thinking it is less expensive to buy the beefed up AAA towing coverage than replace an expensive tire.

Have you heard about this?

Thanks for all of your great posts!

Erin
ExpectingExecutive

Credit Unions for Car Loans

Jody DeVere -- Ask Patty — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 20:19:34 -0500

Great suggestion Virginia! Thank you for making a comment,

Your own credit union is a great place to pre-qualify for a new or used car loan.

Jody DeVere
President
www.askpatty.com
www.carblabber.com